Mount for display letters or the like and method of mounting letters



United States Patent() MOUNT FOR DISPLAY LETTERS on THE LIKE AND METHODOF MOUNTING LETTERS This invention relates to the securing of lettersforming a name or other device to the face ota building or elsewhere,and is for a novel mounting element and method of using the same.

While the present invention is particularly applicable to the mountingof letters and numbers forming part of the name or display over a storefront or the like, it may,

however, be used for the mounting of various display or utilitarianarticles to a surface. My invention will hereinafter be describedparticularly with reference to letters,

but this is by way of illustration and not limitation.

Display letters, such for example as those constituting a name over astore front, are commonly formed of sheet metal, plastic or glass, andthey are of concavo-convex section with the concavity being in the faceof the letter that confronts the Wall. These letters must be accuratelypositioned and rmly held in place, and should be as close to the wall aspossible as their appearance would be spoiled either by beinginaccurately positioned, or by their being spaced outwardly from thewall surface on which they are mounted.

My invention has for its primary object to provide a mounting forletters or the like which will enable them to be quickly and accuratelypositioned, simple in application, and economical to manufacture, andwhich enables the letter or other object to be held close to the Wallwith the mounting being entirely concealed.

A further object of my invention is to provide a novel method ofattaching such letters or other objects to a wall.

These and other objects and advantages are obtained by my invention aswill be more fully apparent from the detailed description hereinafterappearing.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a vertical section through a mounting element constructed inaccordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the device shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 shows the application of the mounting elements to a letter orother object to be mounted on a wall preliminarily to the step ofmounting, the View being a vertical transverse section;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the letter or other objectapplied to the wall; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view partly in section and partly inelevation showing in an exaggerated manner how the mounting adjustsitself to irregularities in the Wall surface.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates a letter such as that commonlyused in display signs over store fronts and in like locations, or anyother similar object, the device Z here being shown as being of concaveor convex section with the exterior 2a being convexed while the wallconfronting surface 2b is concave or troughlike. The letter may beformed of pressed metal, shaped from glass or other ceramic material, orformed from plastic. Acording to the present invention a plurality ofstuds 3 are welded or otherwise secured to the inner face ofthe convexface of the letter, these studs being threaded ice or otherwiseroughened on their exterior. As best shown in Fig. 5 the studs mayconveniently be ordinary thumb screws having their heads welded to theinterior of the letter, and having a shank which is of less length thanthe depth of the concavity in the rear face of the letter. The studsbeing shorter than the depth of the con cavity, the letter can bepressed against the face of the wall on which it is mounted without thestud reaching to the wall.

The mounting elements themselves comprise a base, preferably a sheetmetal base 4, which may be of any suitable contour, preferably circularas shown, the base having a plurality of holes through it. It has adiameter less than the width of the concave face of the letter. Thisbase'or pad has a center portion which is pressed outwardly and deformedto firmly pinch and hold one end of a semi-ilexible plastic tube 5, theplastic tube being slightly resilient or elastic. It is preferablyformed of` styrene, but may be constituted of polyethylene or natural orsynthetic rubber or other plastic of proper characteristics. It shouldbe stiff enough so that it will not too readily bend or flex, butelastic enough so that it will yield slightly when one of the studs 3 isentered into the Open end of the tube. The internal diameter of the tubeis just slightly smaller than the maximum diameter of the stud 3, andthe length of the tube is less than the depth of the concavity in theletter.

In use the wall or other support to which the letter to be mounted, andwhich is designated A, is first marked to show exactly the position inwhich the letter is to be placed. One of the mounting elements of Fig. lis then applied to each of the studs 3 of the letter. When the stud ispressed into the tubular part 5 of the mounting, the mounting willstretch or expand just enough to let the stud be entered. As shown inFig. 3, the mounting elements are applied to the studs only sufficientto start the studs into the tubular elements 5, but so that the pads orbases 4 will project beyond the plane of the inner face of the letter. Asuitable plastic or adhesive is then applied to the inner face at eachof the pads or base elements 4, and the letter is positioned against theface of the wall A in just the right position, and pressure is appliedto it. Upon the application of pressure the studs 3 will telescopefurther into the tubes 5 until the edges of the letter contact the faceof the Wall as shown in Fig. 2. The pad and adhesive cement adjustautomatically to the exact depth required, thereby insuring goodmechanical contact of the pad with the support, and good contact of theletter with the face of the wall A. If the pad happens to contact anarea of the wall which is slightly irregular, the tube will ex as shownin Fig. 5 to adapt itself to this irregularity without throwing theletter out of alignment. The letter is held in place until the cement oradhesive has set, a quick-setting cement being employed.

After the cement has set, the letter will be rmly held in position. Anyforce tending to pull the letter away from the wall A tends to contracttheplastic tube or sleeve 5 onto the threaded shank of the stud 3,thereby more rmly gripping and holding the stud against removal from thetube. Therefore Once the letters have been mounted on the wall, they canonly be removed by a force suflicient to either break the cement bywhich the pads are held against the face of the wall, or suicient torupture the tubes 5.

An important feature in the use of my invention is the initial settingof the mounting elements 4-5 so that the pads are positioned outside theplane of the letter as shown in Fig. 3 with the subsequent applicationof pressure when the pads are placed against the wall A to force theletter into contact with the surface of the wall and therebyautomatically adjust'the mounting to the wall and' to the letter.

It will be seen from the foregoing that my4 invention provides a simpleand economical means for mounting letters or the-'like lonto a wallsurface where theyare'fto Abe secured, and a kunique method by which theparts are brought to the proper relation. .Once the letter :has beenmounted, the mounting is entirelyconcealed and no e-xternalscrews orother. fastening Ymeans are -visible 'to mar in any waythe appearance ofthe display.

As above indicated, vthe studs 3 arepreferably threaded in order .toprovide a suitable rough surface for interlocking engagement with thesemi-flexible tube l5, but `they may be roughened in any other suitablemanner. The tubes 5 are rmly attached tothe metal base :by the pinchingof the metal at 4a into the .tube .to rmly 'hold and retain the tube onthe base, and this operation can be accomplished with a simple pressingoperation requiring no .elaborate machinery. Instead of the device 2being a letter, it vmay be any other object designed to be mounted onand held close to the face of the wall. v

I claim as my invention:

1. In a display, a letter having a concaved wall confronting face, aplurality of studs secured to the concaved face with the studs being ofa height less than the depth of the concavity, and a mounting element oneach .stud comprising a semi-flexible plastic tube ttegl over the studand of less length than the depth 0f the concavity in the letter, thetube having a base at one end adapted to be cemented to the surface of awall.

2. A sign as defined in claim l in which the base is a sheet metal diskhaving a central opening contracted about the tube for attaching thetube to the base and of a dimension less than the concavity in .theletter.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

